Torchwood 2: Glasgow
by scarz.de.vegas
Summary: Torchwood Two was one of the Torchwood Institute's four main bases in the 2000s. It was located near the waterfront development on the River Clyde in Glasgow and run by "Archie," whom Jack Harkness described as "very strange." According to the British government, Torchwood Two was assumed to have been disbanded at some point prior to the 456 crisis. Disbanded, you be the judge.
1. Chapter 1

Torchwood 2 (Glasgow)

Archie removed his reading glasses and placed them in his inside jacket pocket. Pushing himself away from the desk and standing up; he moved towards the door of the little book shop that had been the home to Torchwood Two for the last 80 years. He knew this day was coming and he had been preparing for it for the last several months. Rumblings that someone in the government was planning to close Torchwood down and to take what was there for their own purposes.

Looking out the door he took one last glance at the River Clyde Waterfront, smiling at the memory of Glaswegians coming down to the Broomielaw to board the paddle wheeler steamers to go 'doon the watter' for a day trip or seaside holiday.

Chuckling a bit as he remembered chasing the Goblin over the humps on the Squiggly Bridge and inadvertently starting a trend called "doing the Squiggly". Sighing at the memories, he turned the sign on the door to 'Closed' and turned away from the water front he loved. Tapping the button on his wrist-worn mat-transfer device he closed his eyes just as the building blew up around him. . .

The explosion shook the waterfront and destroyed the bookstore. Two soldiers crossed the Squiggly Bridge and got into a waiting Land Rover Defender. "Are you sure he was in the store, Sergeant?"

"Aye, Leftenant, I waited till he turned the sign to 'Closed' and turned his back on the river before detonating the explosive."

The Lieutenant sighed, "Then that's that. . .Torchwood Two has officially been disbanded and we can put this messy business behind us." With that the soldiers drove off.

"Archie, you smell of sulfur." Archie smiled as he looked about and saw that he was in his mother's family's cottage above Luss Village on Loch Lomand. His eyes landed on the faerie-like creature who had been his companion since rescuing her from her crashed spaceship almost a century ago.

"Yes, Ckaitchlin, I barely made it before they blew the shoppe up." Ckaitchlin wasn't her real name but it was as close as Archie could come to the actual pronunciation.

She always tittered a bit at they way he said it, "Do you think they will be fooled enough not to come looking for you here?"

The old man paused a moment, "I hope so, little lady, I did all I could to leave just enough evidence of what we do. . .did there and the poor soul we found dead in the alley was modified with my DNA and a few items people saw me with; properly deactivated, of course; that they shouldn't search any further." He chuckled, "Besides, old Torchwood Two was said to have been manned by a very strange man and most of the government thought us nothing more than a research station." Archie removed his jacket and sat down in the old leather chair.

"I did leave a little bauble, a shiny object that I am sure someone will take interest in," he chuckled. "That could help to keep us informed of what is going on."

The Faerie landed on his desk and sat on the edge, swinging her legs as she talked. "Does anyone else know of this place?"

Archie smiled, "Only Captain Jack and he would never disclose this location to anyone."

There was a soft breeze blowing off the Lake on that spring day in 1890 and Archie smiled thinking of how much his mother had loved this old cottage and she had loved his father, Jamie to whom Archie owed so much. For it was his father's tales of travel through time and space that had piqued his own interest in the stars. During the last few years of his life, Jamie rambled on about traveling with someone called the Doctor and of visiting other planets and other times.

Everyone said he was daft and not to pay him any mind, but his father was all he had after his mother died during his 15th year of life. They were buried side-by-side, in a small family plot on his land above Lake Lomend.

He was sitting on the side of the cottage facing the Lake, enjoying his afternoon pipe and ale when he noticed a strangely dressed man approaching. The man was tall and quite dapper in a long coat of a style that he had never seen before. There was a swagger and cocksuredness about him and a smile that must have broken the hearts of many.

"Good sir, could you tell me where I might find the home of Archibald McCrimmon?"

Archie chuckled as he stood, "You need search no further, for I am Archibald McCrimmon, Archie, to my friends." He offered his hand and the stranger took it and shook it. He had a look of amazement on his face.

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness and they told me you were 100 years old, you don't look a day over 40!"

The old man chuckled, "I thank you for saying so, I don't quite understand it, but my father told me that his travels so long ago, might have affected his aging and mine, for he was well over 100 when he passed."

The Captain looked into Archie's eyes, "May I ask what your father's name was?"

Archie smiled and with a twinkle in his eyes he said, "Jamie McCrimmon, a Piper in the Clan Fraser and to hear him tell, a traveler through time and space."

Jack's jaw dropped and a look of recognition flashed across his face, "Your father was The Jamie McCrimmon! He truly was a traveler, a Companion to a friend of mine. . .The Doctor!"

"The Doctor. . ." they had said the words together and a smile crossed the old man's face, "I knew the tales he told had been true, though others had doubted it, You knew my father?" This time the look of disbelief was on Archie's face.

Captain Jack chuckled, "No, I never met him, you might say he was a bit before my time. . .but I know the Doctor, I traveled with him a few times, myself."

"Where are my manners, come on in, I will put some tea on, or I might be able to find something a wee bit stronger." "A wee bit stronger would be nice." he said as they both entered the cottage.

As both men sat before the hearth, each with a mug of whiskey in their hands, the old man turned to this young man in wonder, "You said you were looking for me, may I ask why?"

Jack sat his mug down and turned to Archie, "Archie, I work for section of Her Majesty's government called the Torchwood Institute. Our purpose is to protect the British Empire from otherworldly threats and to secure alien technology for the Empire." He intentionally left out the part about 'capturing' The Doctor as he turned in his chair a bit uncomfortably.

"Archie, we investigate odd things, strange stories and yours is a bit of all of that."

Archie closed his eyes and sighed.

Jack continued, " Stories like, there is an old man in Luss Village who doesn't seem to age and that he collects odds and ends that seemingly have no apparent purposes; as well as manuscripts that mention such oddities."

The old man set down his own mug, "Am I to be arrested for my curiosity, for my longevity or am I to be studied like some long lost relic? What is it you want of me?"

The Captain shook his head, "No, no, you misunderstand me, we don't want to arrest you, we want you to join us, to help us find those odds and ends, otherworldly relics. To ascertain their purpose. To search sightings that make little or no sense. . .we want you to join the Torchwood Institute!"

The old man chuckled, "That's a relief, for a moment there I thought I might have to kill you and then disappear."

Jack chuckled, "Many have tried that, but I don't die easy."

Archie smiled, "I don't work well with others and I prefer not to work here as this is my refuge, my private place."

Jack smiled, "That could be arranged, how does Edinburgh sound?"

The old man shook his head, "I'd rather go to Glasgow. . .Edinburgh has too many people."

"Glasgow it is then", Jack picked up his mug and downed it in one gulp. Archie did the same and the two men talked and laughed through the night.

Archie had fallen asleep in the chair. Ckaitchlin smiled and pulled a throw around him. "My old friend, tomorrow we can discuss what the future holds for Torchwood Two point One." She smiled and flitted over to the mantle and the bed she had placed there.

"Looks like there wasn't much there; mostly some small alien artifacts and devices, the scientists will be able to tell us if anything is still useable or can be retro-engineered." The Colonel picked up small golden ring that had survived the conflagration and slipped it into his pocket as he looked about the warehouse where the items they recovered from "Torchwood Two" were scattered about. "Looks like he was really only engaged in research and not much of value survived."

He looked up as an orderly rushed towards him, "Sir, genetic testing confirmed that the body found was that of Archibald McCrimmon."

The officer nodded and dismissed the orderly, turning to his aide, "One more loose end tied up."


	2. Chapter 2

All Wee Creatures With Wings Be Not Faeries, but. . .

It had been a little over a decade since Archie had been recruited by Captain Jack. The little book store that he set up on the Broomielaw was the perfect cover for Torchwood activities and a perfect place to observe the daily river routine. The hustle and bustle of the Paddle wheelers going "Doon the Watter" for day trips, seaside holidays and the transportation of goods up and down the River Clyde.

The store had come with a typical Victorian feature, a hidden room located behind the bookshelf under the stairs to the loft Archie used as home. He had managed to collect quite a few objects of an 'alien' nature. The newest agent of Torchwood had been surprised at how much outworldly traffic used Earth as a crossroad to wherever and whenever they came from.

The strangest item he had found so far, was in a pawn shop in Edinburgh. The owner of the shop said that he had purchased it from a rather short, broad-shouldered man that had a head that vaguely resembled a potato. Archie had laughed at the description and haggled a bit before paying half of the asking price for the leather gauntlet.

After returning to his book store with his new possession, he was surprised to find a letter addressed to him, There was no return address on the envelope and the sweeping handwriting was obviously that of a woman. It explained that the gauntlet was actually a mat-trans unit that could be used for transporting someone or something from one place or time to another. The letter also contained instructions on how to use it. Obviously this item was a 'gift' from someone who knew about Torchwood or possibly even a friend or friends of the Doctor.

The Glasgow Fair on the Green was in full swing and though Archie had never been fond of big crowds, he made it to the roof of the building the book store was located in, using his mat-trans device, to watch the nightly fireworks. It was warm July night and the Broomielaw was fairly deserted with most Glaswegians enjoying the Fair.

The music drifted through the air, the enchantment of the moment was broken by the clap of fireworks, but Archie wasn't watching the display as something else had drawn his attention; something in the Northwest sky, making its own thunderclap of noise and burning a trail across the night sky. As much as Archie loved the Fair, he knew that there was something more important for him to do. He pressed the buttons on the mat-trans device and smiled as he shimmered and disappeared into the night.

Archie's smile broadened as he materialized and immediately recognized where he was. . .The Whangie (created, as legend would have it, by the Devil whipping his tail in excitement as he flew round the corner of the hill here) a deep narrow fissure, running in a north-south direction, and bounded on both sides by steep walls of rock. He explored here with his father when he was a young lad and he knew every nook and crannie.

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his 'pocket watch', then flipped the face to the side and looked at the indicator dial and smiled again; whatever it was it was sitting in the middle of the Whangie on the walking trail.

Archie headed into the Whangie, cautiously but filled with excitement as this was the first time that he would be the first one on scene, the first one to lay eyes upon this visitor, whatever it was.

"Aahh, she's a real beauty," Archie said as he bent down to examine to what the untrained eye might look like a toy. A small golden 'space' ship. He couldn't tell what actually powered the vehicle, but it was warm to the touch bending down and placing his ear upon it and he could hear something inside, something pounding.

The Torchwood agent gently picked up the tiny craft as he looked for a way to open it, but there was no apparent door or portal. He took his knife from his pocket and gently tapped on the craft. There was a corresponding knock from the inside again. He knocked again, this time twice and was answered in kind. There was definitely someone or something inside, but was it evil or benign.

"Is there someone out there?" Archie almost dropped the ship. "Yes, I am here, I am Archie McCrimmon, who am I talking to?"

"That is not important right now, as my ship will explode in about 3 minutes. . .I need your help getting out."

"What can I do to help?" Archie set the craft down on the ground again.

"Do you have something sharp, hopefully made of forged steel or some other strong metal?"

He smiled, "I do, what do you want me to do?"

"Strike the rounded end of my craft, it should come apart easily and I should be able to crawl out through the opening."

Archie didn't hesitate as the clock was ticking, his knife struck the rounded end and popped like a balloon. he bent down to look into the opening and was surprised at what he saw. The creature inside had the appearance of a Faerie. . .a Faerie from the childhood stories and legends of the Scottish Highlands.

It was, no, she was injured and he reached down to take her in his hand as she looked up into his eyes, "We must move quickly and get as far away as we can from my ship. . it is going to blow!"

Archie didn't wait around as he took off down the trail and just made it around the corner of an outcropping and pressed himself and the Faerie against its rocky face, just as the ship exploded.

Looking back around the corner, it was evident that the ship had completely disintegrated.

"Ckaitchlin."

"Excuse me, I didn't catch that." he looked puzzled.

"Ckaitchlin, that is my name, Chkaitchlin, Ar-chie Mc-Crimmon."

He smiled, "K-kait- che-lin?" The Faerie-like creature tittered, "Close enough. . cough!"

"You're injured, I need to get you back to my shop!" he pressed the mat-trans and shimmered out of the Whangie.

Ckaitchlin was a "ScKarchian", as far as she knew, she was the last of her kind.

"K-kait- che-lin, how is it that your ship brought you here, to Earth?"

She smiled as she tittered at the way Archie pronounced her name again. "We use the standing stones, the monolithic stone circles, like Stonehenge and the Callanish standing stones. . .there is an electrostatic filament embedded in the stones. Haven't you felt a bit of tingling when you visited any of these sites?" Ckaitchlin smiled as he nodded, "We have been visiting your planet for a very long time; where do you think the tales of Faeries originated." She tittered again and coughed.

"Ckaitchlin, perhaps you should get some rest." he picked her up and carried her to the small hearth in his loft and laid her in the small bed he had made for her. He covered her and gently tucked her in. "Good night Ckaitchlin, we can talk in the morning." Archie smiled as he blew out the candle on the mantle and headed off to bed, whispering to himself, "I wonder what the morrow will bring."


	3. Chapter 3

Torchwood Underground, 2.1: "The Piper"

Archie was sitting on the side of the house facing the Loch, enjoying his afternoon pipe and ale; remembering a day in the long past that brought him to this point where he was now. He still hadn't heard from any other Torchwood members, not even Jack; although he knew whatever was happening was not good considering how his office was closed. He had been listening to all the chatter about about the 456 crisis and decided that it was something that he best stay out of, unless Jack himself called him in. He had no idea how deeply Jack was involved and he had no idea what was going on with Torchwood, but he wished them luck. God knows they would need it.

"A penny for your thoughts." Archie smiled as his companion of almost a hundred years alit on the arm of his wooden chair.

"Ahhh, Ckaitchlin, I am afraid I wouldn't burden you with my thoughts for a million times that." She tittered a bit as she always did with the way he said her name.

"Archie, you need to see something." He looked down at her, "Does it have anything to do with the 456 goings on?"

She shook her head, "No, it is something else, something that may be trying to use this crisis for its own gain." His eyebrow lifted as he got up and followed the little faerie-like creature back into the old farm house and down into the hidden basement, making sure he sealed the door behind him.

". . ."Looks like there wasn't much there; mostly some small alien artifacts and devices, the scientists will be able to tell us if anything is still usable or can be retro-engineered." "Looks like he was really only engaged in research and not much of value survived."

"Sir, genetic testing confirmed that the body found was that of Archibald McCrimmon."

"One more loose end tied up.". . ."

Ianto looked up at Jack, "That's all the data chip said. . .what's going on Jack?"

Jack placed his hands on his hips and shook his head, "I don't know, Ianto, but it is something bad." He looked back at the big screen showing the arrival of species 456. Archie is just going to have to handle it himself. The Captain turned to leave, then paused, "see if we can do something to strengthen our defenses here, just in case." He winked and headed back into the main room of Torchwood 3.

Archie sat down at the heavily shielded communications and operations panel, trying to determine what had gotten Ckaitchlin so concerned.

"There!" he said at the same time as his friend, there was something being transmitted on the lowest frequency panel. They both watched and listened as the message repeated itself. "Why isn't the communicator translating it?" the old man asked, but Ckaitchlin just shrugged.

The Torchwood agent made adjustments to the sound, slowed it down, sped it up, but nothing seemed to help, though he couldn't help thinking that it sounded very familiar. He closed his eyes and fiddled with the adjustments a bit more. . .his eyes popped open as the sound became more clear. . .it sounded like a practice chanter!

"Is it a code or just someone playing the pipes?"

Once again she shrugged, "There is a definite pattern to it, but I don't think it is musical in nature. . ." she paused a moment as the 'piper' continued. "There, even you should be able to tell that that those are not 'notes' a real piper would play."

Archie nodded, "At least no piper I know." He half-smiled as he remembered listening to his father play the pipes and those lessons as he struggled with the notes; slowly learning and finally being able to master the simple tune. "Are we recording this?" She smiled, "Of course."

They had played the 'tune' through a program that turned the recorded notes into written notes and were pouring over them trying to ascertain any pattern that would be translatable. "It appears that the oddball notes are either a name or title, but I am not sure." Archie shook his head, "Ckaitchlin, do you know of any race that might communicate this way?" He sighed as once again he had wished he could contact Torchwood 3 as their database was more extensive than his.

Ckaitchlin caught herself in mid titter, "Of course, I should have thought of it before, " she turned and looked up at her companion, "There are tales, much like the tales of the sightings of my people, Faeries, one that I am sure you may have heard of before, that involved a Piper that rid a town of vermin. When he returned to receive payment for his services, the Town Leaders reneged on the deal and he stole their children."

Archie looked down at the Faerie and a light bulb lit up, "You are talking about the Pied Piper!" She smiled, "Yes, a similar story has been told in several countries and on several planets and the reasons for stealing the children vary, but it is always the children that he is after."

Archie thought a bit odd that Species 456 used the children to announce their presence and that there was a possibility a Piper might also be trying to take advantage of the children. "Let's see if we can figure out where this 'Piper" is transmitting from, or to."

They discovered that the transmission originated in Garelochhead and was only transmitting to that village, which was only a 15 or 20 minute drive from Loch Lomond, so Archie thought it would be best for them to drive there in is old mini cooper. The Village was also very close to the Clyde Submarine base. He didn't believe in coincidences so he couldn't rule out that the base might also be a target for whatever was going on.

"I've got us a room at the Anchor Inn with a view of the Loch. The village itself has a population of around 3,000 people so we will still have to be careful about people seeing you, though there are plenty of tales of Faeries in these parts."

After arriving at the inn and checking into their room, Archie went about setting up the equipment needed to try to track down this elusive 'Piper', knowing that he had to avoid detection and with the Submarine base so close he couldn't be sure if those who had destroyed the Glasgow office might have ears in this part of the country, too. Ckaitchlin flew to the window and looked out at the Loch. "There's not much to see from here, since we are only one story up," she sighed.

The old man knew that being around people, even in a small village like this, was tough on his companion. In Glasgow she enjoyed going out at night and mixing with the party goers who were always drunk and not always remembered their encounters with a faerie. Most probably never told anyone, if they did remember meeting her as they didn't want people thinking they were daft.

"Archie, it looks like we aren't the only ones about," he got up and moved over to the window as the military rover and several trucks passed by and shook his head, "I am not sure if they are here because of 456 or because of the 'Piper', so we are really going to have to be careful." He shook his head and went back to his monitoring equipment. He had thought the military would be too busy with the current crisis to pay any attention to the goings on up here.

After fiddling a bit with his equipment he found the military broadcast channel, "We are approaching Bendarroch Public Park and it appears the townsfolk are complying. We will verify the identities of the children before loading up the trucks. We should be back at the base in a couple of hours. I will be glad when this bloody 456 mess is over with."

"That is enough of that talk Corporal, we do as we are ordered, nothing less."

"Aye, Captain."

Archie let out a sigh of relief, "It would appear that it is related to the 456; we will wait until they have gone back to base before heading to the Park. . .it seems that is also where the signal from the 'Piper' is originating from."

During the wait, Archie had left Ckaitchlin to monitor the 'Piper's' signal and to notify him if there were any changes. Meanwhile he went down to grab a pint and to listen in on the gossip of any townsfolk that might be around. He had learned that the government had 'selected' 10% of the children, ages 5 to 11, for a special advanced 'learning' program and that the village officials had originally balked at the idea and that some said that they changed their minds when their children were made exempt from the program. There were many rumors about what this was all about, but no one had the courage to stand up to the village officials and the military.

After he felt that he had learned all he could, he stopped off and grabbed a couple of sweets for Ckaitchlin and headed back to their room; where she was waiting for him. As she accepted the sweets she went on to tell him that all of the trucks had returned back to base, but it appeared the Rover was unaccounted for.

The man from Torchwood acknowledged the information and turned the monitor back to the military channel to see if there was an explanation. Archie then turned back to his suitcase and took out his mat-trans device and put it on; then reached back into the case and took out his Webley Revolver and tucked it in his belt. The little faerie looked at him quizzically. "Just in case, darlin', we still do not know how dangerous the 'Piper' is and there is still the matter of the unaccounted for rover." She nodded and then flew into his jacket pocket as he set his 'watch' to the 'Piper's' transmission frequency and left the room.

Archie thought about taking the mini, but decided against it as there was no auto traffic on the roads. Looking about he realized that there were very few people about and most of them were walking with their heads down as if to avoid looking into anyone else's eyes. "That's strange", Ckaitchlin said as she stuck her head out of his pocket. Archie agreed as he set out on foot for the Bendarroch Public Park.

It had taken a little while to reach the park and they could see that the gate was open and the missing rover was sitting just inside the gate with two soldiers standing by it. Archie hopped a short stone wall and disappeared into the trees before the soldiers saw him, he hoped. he moved stealthily through the trees to within earshot of the soldiers.

"You're sure the Captain ordered us to wait here?" the Private asked the Corporal.

"That's what he said and who am I to question orders; beside he already chewed my ass out once today."

That seemed to end the discussion, Archie was just about to move when the Private spoke up again. "Corporal, look, there's a child in the middle of the park." The Corporal yelled out, "You there, you shouldn't be here, run along."

The child didn't move, instead he pulled out a chanter and started to play. "Bloody hell, he picked one hell of a time to practice." He motioned for the Private to follow him as he headed towards the kid.

"It's the 'Piper'," Archie reached into his pocket and pulled out some ear plugs and put them in his ears, Ckaitchlin did the same as she slipped out of his pocket and they moved along the tree line keeping the soldiers and the 'Piper' in sight.

As the soldiers got closer, he noticed that other children were joining him on the field. The soldiers noticed it too.

"All right, enough is enough, you kids need to run along home now. It is just about curfew time." There was no response as more children gathered on the field.

"You there, stop playing the pipe and clear out, you and the other kids need to get home straightaway." The Corporal was about to shout another order when the 'Piper' stopped and reached for something at his hip and before Archie could even shout out a warning, the 'Piper's grabbed the weapon, a whip-like thing that struck the Corporal like a taser and dropped him. Before the Private could draw his weapon, he too was struck and fell to the ground.

Archie couldn't tell if they were dead or just stunned, but he knew that the 'Piper' had also spotted him, so he slowly moved from the cover of the trees and started out onto the field. The old man looked about but his Faerie friend was nowhere to be seen and he hoped it stayed that way as the 'Piper' put the whip back on his hip and resumed playing the chanter.

As he drew closer to the 'Piper' he noticed that more children had joined them on the field, it looked as if all of the children of the village that hadn't been taken by the soldiers were gathering in Bendarroch Park.

The 'Piper' motioned for him to stop and he complied. He was close enough to see that the "Piper' was no child but a short creature with a leathery skin that vaguely resembled a human.

"Why are you here, hooman? My music should have sent you running, like the rest of the villagers?"

Archie relaxed a bit, that explained the head down movement of the villagers they had seen. "I am the son of a Piper, though one of much better talent than yourself. Music speaks to me in a different way."

The 'Piper' shook his head, "That is not possible, my music never fails, who are you, what are you and what are these people to you?" His hand moved closer to the whip on his hip as the children stopped moving, held by the trance of the 'Piper's' song.

The old man paused a moment as he looked about for his little friend, "I am Archibald McCrimmon, son of Jamie McCrimmon, a Piper of the Clan Fraser, who was a traveler in time and space as a Companion of the Doctor."

For the first time it seemed the 'Piper' couldn't find his tongue. . . finally he responded, "The Doctor is a myth, you must be a liar."

Archie chuckled, "The Pied Piper is a myth, the Doctor is real, what does that make you?" He had slipped the Webley from his belt and held it behind his back. "I think that makes you a slaver, one who traffics in the youth of alien species; it also makes you an opportunist, a leech who is using the crisis with 456 for his own gain." He paused a moment, "Did you think that no one would notice if you made off with a few hundred or so kids; did you think that no one would be listening or watching?"

"What care you about a few hooman children, your planet will be turning over millions of children to 456, no one will miss these few." the 'Piper' was almost pleading, while his hand inched closer to the whip.

"I care. . .the Earth cares and do not sell us short as far as the 456 are concerned." He hoped he had sounded convincing because he was still unsure what was happening with the 456.

The 'Piper' moved to grab his whip, but it was gone. He looked about frantically as Archie pulled the Webley from behind his back while holding the whip in his other hand. Ckaitchlin sitting on his shoulder. "I believe you are looking for this?"

The creature spit and hissed vehemently, then lifted his pipe to his lip, "You will not shoot, the Doctor uses no weapons so his "Companions" do not use them, too!" As he started to play, a shot rang out and hit the 'Piper's' hand, shattering the chanter.

The 'Piper' dropped to his knees as the children screamed and ran away.

Archie moved to the 'Piper' who was holding his injured hand, "I am not a Companion of the Doctor, I am the son of a Companion and the weapon thing is a myth." He looked up making sure the kids had cleared the field. "You have two choices, you can remain here and be executed for your crimes or you can leave and never return."

The 'Piper' decided on leaving, his parting words were, "Your brats make horrible slaves, perhaps I should stick to raiding Tivoli."

After he departed, Archie picked up the pieces of the chanter and placed them in the inner pocket of his jacket. Ckaitchlin noticed that the soldiers appeared to be waking up so she and Archie used the mat-trans to return to their room. As Archie placed the whip, gun and broken chanter in his suitcase and chuckled, "The Piper has been paid in full."


End file.
